Tips for recovering from binge eating?
IIFYMKaren
Posts: 21 Member
Hi! For the last couple of weeks, I've been carefully tracking and managing my food intake with a very balanced approach (IIFYM). I'm also going to the gym and lifting weights, doing some HIIT training, and walking on my off days on a track to promote active recovery. I'm still trying to work on a disordered approach to eating after many years of struggling with food addiction, emotional eating, and different diets. I did keto and found that it's not sustainable for me so I'm wanting to include all the food groups and try to maintain a small caloric deficit for a slow and steady approach to loss.
Seems so easy right? Then comes my mindset that gets totally thrown off when the scale isn't moving, or my back starts to hurt after a small reinjury, or I'm dealing with an emotional issue and I pick up a box of crackers and start eating... no tracking and I feel like I'm starting all over again the next day.
I'm looking for simple cognitive strategies for keeping on track and not succumbing to these binge behaviors. Any insight or tools that you've found useful? TIA!
Seems so easy right? Then comes my mindset that gets totally thrown off when the scale isn't moving, or my back starts to hurt after a small reinjury, or I'm dealing with an emotional issue and I pick up a box of crackers and start eating... no tracking and I feel like I'm starting all over again the next day.
I'm looking for simple cognitive strategies for keeping on track and not succumbing to these binge behaviors. Any insight or tools that you've found useful? TIA!
2
Replies
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Tracking even during binges helps with accountability and makes you aware of the calorie cost you incurr.2
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That's kind of the difficulty. When I binge, I have a really hard time recounting what I actually ate. I really can't tell you how many crackers I had, how much cheese and dip for example. I carefully weigh pretty much everything when I'm not binging but when I do, I'm not really aware of the amount of food.0
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I used to have binge eating disorder and gained so much weight from it. I found that one of the only things to help was to drink a ton of water when I felt like bingeing. I know this might not be that healthy but its what worked for me. Just make sure you dont over do it with drinking water otherwise it'll become not healthy.3
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Simple, not easy. Routines and flexible boundaries helps me. I suggest planning meals and schedule food shopping if you aren't doing that already. Getting enough sleep and rest is just as important as exercise. We are used to filling every waking moment, and longing for more, faster and bigger. Try practicing gratitude and just embracing your personal inner emptiness.5
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IIFYMKaren wrote: »That's kind of the difficulty. When I binge, I have a really hard time recounting what I actually ate. I really can't tell you how many crackers I had, how much cheese and dip for example. I carefully weigh pretty much everything when I'm not binging but when I do, I'm not really aware of the amount of food.
Log them before you actually insert them into your mouth.
Just have to keep that in your mind to do.1 -
Maybe before you binge, divide the food you normally would binge on into pre-measured bags, and count the number of bags that are empty when it's over? (Or know how many you had before and how many are left). Also, perhaps the act of getting up and getting another bag would alert you to the behavior and make you reconsider doing it.3
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IIFYMKaren wrote: »That's kind of the difficulty. When I binge, I have a really hard time recounting what I actually ate. I really can't tell you how many crackers I had, how much cheese and dip for example. I carefully weigh pretty much everything when I'm not binging but when I do, I'm not really aware of the amount of food.
Log them before you actually insert them into your mouth.
Just have to keep that in your mind to do.
I usually track everything. Maybe I'll have to put post it notes on stuff to remind me to track in a binge situation. When I binge, I kind of give up and don't want to track... it's part of the issue.1 -
I keep binge foods out of my house.
I make the decision in the grocery store.6 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Simple, not easy. Routines and flexible boundaries helps me. I suggest planning meals and schedule food shopping if you aren't doing that already. Getting enough sleep and rest is just as important as exercise. We are used to filling every waking moment, and longing for more, faster and bigger. Try practicing gratitude and just embracing your personal inner emptiness.
Yes, I pretty much plan my food. This last binge was triggered at a Parent Council meeting when there was a spread of food in front of me. I started eating as the meeting ran late and went home and kept gobbling crackers after having a really great day of tracking. I should have probably brought a snack with me so I could have counted it beforehand and not triggered a binge. I am already quite tuned into gratitude practice through prayer. It's kept me alive through much worse!0 -
leavemealonee wrote: »I used to have binge eating disorder and gained so much weight from it. I found that one of the only things to help was to drink a ton of water when I felt like bingeing. I know this might not be that healthy but its what worked for me. Just make sure you dont over do it with drinking water otherwise it'll become not healthy.
Thanks.. I'll try drinking more. I'm sure I can handle another glass or two!0 -
merrillfoster wrote: »Maybe before you binge, divide the food you normally would binge on into pre-measured bags, and count the number of bags that are empty when it's over? (Or know how many you had before and how many are left). Also, perhaps the act of getting up and getting another bag would alert you to the behavior and make you reconsider doing it.
I like her Idea.
Plan for those moments. Diving into baggys with whats in there.
Then log it.0 -
cmriverside wrote: »I keep binge foods out of my house.
I make the decision in the grocery store.
I want to overcome my behavior with normal foods in my house. I have a husband and daughter and I can binge eat normal foods. Having said that, I should probably make some really low cal binge foods available, like portioned crackers to help me deal with that too.0 -
merrillfoster wrote: »Maybe before you binge, divide the food you normally would binge on into pre-measured bags, and count the number of bags that are empty when it's over? (Or know how many you had before and how many are left). Also, perhaps the act of getting up and getting another bag would alert you to the behavior and make you reconsider doing it.
Funny, I thought of that probably just as you posted it. Thanks so much for that suggestion. I'll work on that tonight.0 -
What I find helpful for me is that when I notice cravings or urges to eat, I think about the last time I ate, what I ate, and whether there's a reason for me to be hungry...so is it that it's been 4 hours and I only had cereal for breakfast? Am I dehydrated? Or is it that I'm bored or stressed at work and cinnamon rolls would be delicious and a distraction? If it's the latter, I think about what would also serve as a distraction that isn't food based- it's almost always going for a walk, which I do. I will also drink a bottle of water, but I'm also usually dehydrated, which I often misunderstand for hunger signals. When I am at home, I do the same thing.
If I'm still really obsessing over food after I've exhausted other options, I'll go eat whatever I want to eat, try not to beat myself up over it, and start again.
I've been working on BED for about 6 months now and I find that the "not beating yourself up" part is key. Foods aren't bad, you're not bad. I also find that the support group that I have is really helpful. I understand that this isn't available to everyone, but there's actually an eating disorders team on my campus and I have to meet with them regularly and then they have an in-person support group...it might be worth looking into if having a physical group of people to check in with would be helpful for you.
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IIFYMKaren wrote: »IIFYMKaren wrote: »That's kind of the difficulty. When I binge, I have a really hard time recounting what I actually ate. I really can't tell you how many crackers I had, how much cheese and dip for example. I carefully weigh pretty much everything when I'm not binging but when I do, I'm not really aware of the amount of food.
Log them before you actually insert them into your mouth.
Just have to keep that in your mind to do.
I usually track everything. Maybe I'll have to put post it notes on stuff to remind me to track in a binge situation. When I binge, I kind of give up and don't want to track... it's part of the issue.
I do my best to track the day after a binge. That way, I go right back to my normal eating the next day but I take the time to log what I can remember I ate from the previous day. Not to make myself feel guilty but more or less a realization that I did it and I need to move on. Then, when the weight hasn't moved in a week, I can look back on that day and say, oh that's probably why. Sometimes, if I have no idea because it was a work party or something, I just input calorie add-ins and add in 3000 calories so again, I can look back on that day if I need to.0 -
IIFYMKaren wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »I keep binge foods out of my house.
I make the decision in the grocery store.
I want to overcome my behavior with normal foods in my house. I have a husband and daughter and I can binge eat normal foods. Having said that, I should probably make some really low cal binge foods available, like portioned crackers to help me deal with that too.
One of my binge foods is halo top ice cream. I eat a whole pint but the pints are only 240-360 calories so even when I eat the whole thing, it's not as bad as a whole pint of ben and jerrys0 -
kaciemennie wrote: »What I find helpful for me is that when I notice cravings or urges to eat, I think about the last time I ate, what I ate, and whether there's a reason for me to be hungry...so is it that it's been 4 hours and I only had cereal for breakfast? Am I dehydrated? Or is it that I'm bored or stressed at work and cinnamon rolls would be delicious and a distraction? If it's the latter, I think about what would also serve as a distraction that isn't food based- it's almost always going for a walk, which I do. I will also drink a bottle of water, but I'm also usually dehydrated, which I often misunderstand for hunger signals. When I am at home, I do the same thing.
If I'm still really obsessing over food after I've exhausted other options, I'll go eat whatever I want to eat, try not to beat myself up over it, and start again.
I've been working on BED for about 6 months now and I find that the "not beating yourself up" part is key. Foods aren't bad, you're not bad. I also find that the support group that I have is really helpful. I understand that this isn't available to everyone, but there's actually an eating disorders team on my campus and I have to meet with them regularly and then they have an in-person support group...it might be worth looking into if having a physical group of people to check in with would be helpful for you.
Thanks! I've been looking for a reasonable therapist or someone to help me in person. I live in a small town and the therapist that specializes in disordered eating is on mat leave and then moving away but offered Skype sessions when she is back off mat leave. I would love to find an in person support group but I don't think there is one around here so I've been looking online. I need free or pretty cheap as I work for peanuts for a charity right now. If anyone knows of one, please suggest!
Thanks for the suggestions and insights too.. definitely trying not to beat myself up over it.1 -
I "stress eat" and what I like to do is have an alternative coping mechanism. Instead of reaching for the chocolates when I'm emotional, like I used to do, I will do something else that I associate with coziness and calm, like a warm mug of tea- and I'll sip it slowly. Visualization and meditation help as well, train yourself to go to a calm place in your mind. At the very least, slow deep breaths and removing yourself from whatever situation that is stressing you (if at all possible).
Also, keep a journal, write down what is bothering you. Once it's on the page, you may feel better, like it's OK to let go of the thought because if you ever need to come back to it, it's written down.
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Most of the time when I want to binge it's because I am stressed, tired or bored. Now and again I still give into it, but it's a lot less often than I used to.
Things I find helpful:- Planning ahead and meal prep - I have written a meal plan every week for 60 weeks now and normally prep my lunches and one type of evening meal for the following week on a Sunday, I don't always stick to it 100% but it helps in that I only buy in the food that I need for those meals and my snack basket (which is in the cupboard out of sight) and because the food is prepped ahead if I am tired or stressed it's already there ready to be eaten/heated up so I don't have to cook from scratch at the time and I am not tempted to get a takeaway.
- Finding other coping mechanisms - I've started to do more things to help myself relax - yoga, reading, going for a walk.
- Logging the binge and taking full accountability for it - rather than hiding what I am doing it's cathartic to have it out in the open for all to see and helps me to understand what the trigger might have been because sometimes it's not obvious until I look back across my logs. For example, I now tend to eat closer to maintenance a couple of days before my period and ovulation because I get intense cravings for carbs and eating them in slightly higher moderation for a couple of days is far more sensible than trying to restrict myself and going on an all out binge.
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Why don't you start your own support group? Helping others will help you.
Start at work and ask around, "Anyone want to meet up for food issues and discussion?" Or if work seems like not a good idea, how about at church? If you don't go to church, how about neighbors? It's a common problem with a spectrum of behavior.
Have you read the Beck Diet Solution? It's CBT based.5 -
I bully myself, will literally punish myself for failure. I use failure to motivate myself to try harder. Whatever extra calories I ate I will subtract from future meals over the next few days of the week making the end total about the same. I also tend to force myself to chug water when I think about eating because I'm bored or stressed to condition myself into not using that as a crutch. It has gotten to the point that I do not binge because I will always think of the consequences of my actions before it even do them.1
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JillianRumrill wrote: »I "stress eat" and what I like to do is have an alternative coping mechanism. Instead of reaching for the chocolates when I'm emotional, like I used to do, I will do something else that I associate with coziness and calm, like a warm mug of tea- and I'll sip it slowly. Visualization and meditation help as well, train yourself to go to a calm place in your mind. At the very least, slow deep breaths and removing yourself from whatever situation that is stressing you (if at all possible).
Also, keep a journal, write down what is bothering you. Once it's on the page, you may feel better, like it's OK to let go of the thought because if you ever need to come back to it, it's written down.
Great tip. Thank you! I will try to implement this.1 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Most of the time when I want to binge it's because I am stressed, tired or bored. Now and again I still give into it, but it's a lot less often than I used to.
Things I find helpful:- Planning ahead and meal prep - I have written a meal plan every week for 60 weeks now and normally prep my lunches and one type of evening meal for the following week on a Sunday, I don't always stick to it 100% but it helps in that I only buy in the food that I need for those meals and my snack basket (which is in the cupboard out of sight) and because the food is prepped ahead if I am tired or stressed it's already there ready to be eaten/heated up so I don't have to cook from scratch at the time and I am not tempted to get a takeaway.
- Finding other coping mechanisms - I've started to do more things to help myself relax - yoga, reading, going for a walk.
- Logging the binge and taking full accountability for it - rather than hiding what I am doing it's cathartic to have it out in the open for all to see and helps me to understand what the trigger might have been because sometimes it's not obvious until I look back across my logs. For example, I now tend to eat closer to maintenance a couple of days before my period and ovulation because I get intense cravings for carbs and eating them in slightly higher moderation for a couple of days is far more sensible than trying to restrict myself and going on an all out binge.
Thanks you. More great tips!0 -
cmriverside wrote: »Why don't you start your own support group? Helping others will help you.
Start at work and ask around, "Anyone want to meet up for food issues and discussion?" Or if work seems like not a good idea, how about at church? If you don't go to church, how about neighbors? It's a common problem with a spectrum of behavior.
Have you read the Beck Diet Solution? It's CBT based.
I don't have the bandwidth to start my own group. I just signed up for something at supportgroups.com I don't know if it's a poor or good strategy to do an online group but I will try it!
I will check out the Beck Diet solution- have never heard of it.2 -
Here is a simple and practical thing to do, create a daily resolution, Today I resolve to track whatever eat / or Today I resolve not to give into binge eating...something along those lines.1
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I find it helpful to stop and decide if it is hunger or craving I’m feeling. I’ve been known to say out loud, this is a craving, not hunger. The thing about cravings for me is that they rarely last more than 10 minutes if I name them.
Then if I’d binge, I record it the next day in the full light of day. As others have mentioned I can use it to understand why loss may have stalled. I don’t get down on myself about it.1 -
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I find it helpful to stop and decide if it is hunger or craving I’m feeling. I’ve been known to say out loud, this is a craving, not hunger. The thing about cravings for me is that they rarely last more than 10 minutes if I name them.
Then if I’d binge, I record it the next day in the full light of day. As others have mentioned I can use it to understand why loss may have stalled. I don’t get down on myself about it.
OK, I'm finally convinced I'm going back into yesterday's food diary and plug in my binge as best I can.1 -
I bully myself, will literally punish myself for failure. I use failure to motivate myself to try harder. Whatever extra calories I ate I will subtract from future meals over the next few days of the week making the end total about the same. I also tend to force myself to chug water when I think about eating because I'm bored or stressed to condition myself into not using that as a crutch. It has gotten to the point that I do not binge because I will always think of the consequences of my actions before it even do them.
That's a really interesting approach!0 -
I treat it like I’m having a snack. Weigh out an ounce of cheese and slice it into squares that will fit on some crackers. Put these things on a small plate. Consume slowly and enjoy the taste and texture. The cheese will help you feel more satisfied than eating crackers alone. Log it. Drink some water. Wash your plate. Brush your teeth. You’re done for the night.1
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